Give voice to people & help them use it

Become a Write Your Self Guide

The training

“The core experience of psychological trauma is disempowerment and disconnection from others. Recovery, therefore, is based upon the empowerment of the survivor and the creation of new connections.”

– Judith Herman, “Trauma and Recovery”

*

Approximately 70-80% of the world’s population will at some time over the course of their lives experience some kind of trauma.

Research shows that after trauma we need space to piece together and make sense of our story, and we need safe companionship in the process. Writing with guidance can be an accessible and sustainable part of such a process.

By training guides, we want to bring writing to a wide variety of environments so that people who have experienced trauma can be helped and strengthened by writing.

Our vision is that everyone who have suffered trauma will be offered adequate and qualified help to write.

In our team, we have professional as well as personal experience of using writing as a tool for healing. We have lived through our own healing process and worked with many who have made the same journey. This experience and knowledge forms the foundation of our certification program.

Who is the training for?

Writing teachers, psychologist, therapists, deacons, physicians, yoga teachers, staff at women’s shelters and refugee centres – these are just a few examples of professionals who have trained with us.

Our students come from various professional backgrounds and the course content is designed to fit different needs. Together with you, we hope to discover new ways to use writing and new environments to bring this knowledge to.

The training certifies you to guide people who wants to write. It does not, however, qualify you to teach this method to other professionals. Everyone who wants to use the Write Your Self method in their work needs to be trained and certified by us.

This training should be regarded as a further education and a complement to your current professional role.

”Professional, well designed and welcoming. I feel very confident that this training is a good fit with my passion, my knowledge and background. I am also extremely pleased that the program is grounded in good, solid research. This is so important. I feel supported and welcome as part of a larger movement that the Write Your Self team is creating and I am honoured to be part of this community.”

– BRENDA LEE WRIGHT, counselling therapist, Canada.

“It is a beautiful and emotional experience to log in to the program. The platform is simple to navigate. All the research that is brought to light here confirms something I already know – inside. It’s a feeling of pieces coming together. Spreading this message is going to make a huge difference for so many.”

– EMELIE HILL DITTMER, writing teacher and journalist, England.

Watch the video about the vision behind our work:

Our stories matter.

Help people write theirs.

How does the training work?

You will learn our eight-step writing process and explore how to apply it in your own work.

In five modules, you will study trauma and writing from pedagogical and scientific perspectives.

You will learn what makes a writing process trauma sensitive, with focus on bringing choice and empowerment back to your writers, and how to guide people through such a process, both individually and in groups.

The training consists of digital content that you explore at your own pace, available on our educational platform and for download.

How long it takes to complete the training depends on your individual circumstances and commitment, but a good estimate is one to two months, given that you do this alongside your regular work.

The certification process is completed online. After your certification, you will receive access to curriculums – detailed outlines – for courses and workshops, as well as for individual sessions and text response. This is a foundation from which you can develop your own educational material, and you can adjust it according to how you want to use writing in your professional role and at your place of work.

The access to our digital training and the certification is is personal and cannot be transferred to or shared with someone else.

You will find your future writing clients via your own place of work and your network, and we will also advertise your work in the guide directory on the Write Your Self website.

The content of the modules will be updated based on research and feedback from our clients.

The Modules:

1. WRITING AND TRAUMAThis module introduces the research and educational work that the Write Your Self method is built upon. It gives you a background to our methodology and insight into how our eight step writing process can be applied to writing after trauma.

*

2. THE WRITING PROCESS

This module presents Write Your Self’s writing process. You get an introduction to each of the eight steps and get to explore writing exercises connected to each step. The eight steps are:

A Room of One’s OwnCreating space for writing in our lives.

Begin WritingLearning to listen to the stories that want to be told.

Self-CareHow to care for ourselves while writing, and why it is essential to do so.

The Writing BodyAbout the body as a keeper of stories, and methods to begin writing down these stories.

GenresExploring the different ways each individual story can be told.

TopicsOur writing topics and how we can gather, organise and explore them at our own pace.

Creating WholenessAbout the healing capacities of writing, and concrete tools for working with our stories.

Express the WordlessFinding words for the unspeakable parts of a story.

*

3. GUIDINGIn this module we take a closer look at the Write Your Self methodology. You learn about how the writing process can affect your writers, about text response and being a witness to traumatic stories, and about what you might need in your role as a guide.

*

4. CERTIFICATIONIn this module you find certification questions to respond to. When your answers have been submitted and approved, you receive a certificate as proof that you have completed this training, along with access to the fifth module.

*

5. GUIDING MATERIALOnce your certification is completed you get access to this module. Here you will find all the educational material, the course curriculum and the workshop outlines etc. You will also find communication material to help you present your work to potential writers and employers.

CoursesCurriculums for two consecutive courses. You can extend, customise and build upon this material as you wish, based on your own line of work and what you have learned about our writing process and method.

WorkshopA detailed outline for a workshop. You can extend and customise this material as well, based on what you have learned throughout the training.

Individual guidanceEverything you need to offer individual guidance in writing. Consider this material a foundation that you can build upon, based on what you have learned about our writing method.

Text feedbackGuidelines for giving and receiving written and verbal text response, both individually and in groups.

Communication materialDigital communication material such as text-templates, visuals, flyers and posters to help you present Write Your Self, our method and the services you offer as a guide.

*

Library, Forum & Guide Directory

LibraryIn the library you find resources that complement the training material.

The ForumIn our private Facebook group you can present yourself and your work, connect with other course participants, ask questions and find support.

Guide DirectoryOnce you have been certified, you will become a part of our guide directory – if you so wish. Via this directory, writers can read about the service you offer and contact you to get help.

Our Method

The Write Your Self method rests upon three pillars:

Writing after traumaWriting after trauma can mean writing about trauma – about one’s own experiences of trauma. But it can also mean simply writing after trauma – to make sense of your voice and identity after you’ve experienced trauma. It is always the writers who choose what they want to write about. There is no requirement to write specifically about trauma.

The writing processOur eight-step writing process include key knowledge about trauma, trauma sensitive writing exercises as well as tools and resources to help writers find out what they need to create a sustainable and healing writing practice.

The writer’s choice and empowermentTrauma often causes a feeling of powerlessness and loss of agency. The ultimate purpose of our methodology is to bring choice and empowerment back to the writer.

Liability

Our training is built on trauma sensitive, evidence-based work, but we are not clinicians, therapists or scientists. We work within the areas of language, writing and creativity.

The Write Your Self method is not a replacement for therapy or other treatments. The writing process is a powerful complement.

If the need arises, the writers you guide should always be encouraged to seek proper medical care. As a guide, you are responsible for how you use our methodology in your own profession.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Write Your Self?Write Your Self is an education business, based in Sweden. We offer online-based training for people who want to teach writing as a tool for healing. The training is based on international research as well as pedagogical and trauma therapeutic work. Currently, we have certified Write Your Self guides in 7 countries and followers in 80 countries around the world.

Can anyone sign up for the training? Do I need writing experience?Anyone is welcome to do the training, but we primarily address those of you who already work with people in some capacity. Among our certified guides you can find therapists, pastors, writing teachers, medical doctors and yoga teachers. You don’t need any particular writing experience.

What does it cost?The admission cost is 1739 USD, VAT included. The option to pay in three installments is available.

“Your work is perfectly constructed for trauma affected souls. I feel very familiar with your process and methodology, it is comprehensive and extremely well thought out.”

”The training is highly interesting and informative – I’ve learnt a lot. You have an amazing way of addressing trauma and people who’ve suffered trauma. I really appreciate this work.”

– KAARINA RAUHALA, deacon, The Church of Sweden, Sweden.

”Doing this training has made me truly understand what a powerful tool writing is, and also how important it is to take care of oneself properly during the writing process. This is something I’m going to bring into all my writing courses from here on. I am proud and happy to be a part of your community of Write Your Self guides.”

– ANNIKA WIGÖ, course leader, Sweden

“The teaching material is simple and beautiful – thoughtfully developed. Professionality is the word for it. It is steeped with warmth and love to both those who are writing and those seeking to guide others to write. There is an empathy there when it comes to approaching other’s wounds.”

– KARIN VIGREN, priest, The Church of Sweden, Sweden.

“The training feels professional, to the point and well organised. It’s easy to overview, and I love that everything is presented in stages, so that it’s manageable and doesn’t feel like I’m drowning in new information. The list of resources is an extra bonus: Awesome to know that I can immerse myself even further in certain aspects that interest me … Incredibly inspiring.”

– YLVA MARIA PAVVAL, project leader, Niejda, Sweden.

Price & Terms of Purchase

TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION FEE:

1739 USD, VAT included.

*

Payment AlternativesYou can pay the admission cost in full or in three installments.

Login InformationOnce you have completed your purchase, we will send you a confirmation e-mail with the login information you need to access the program platform.

TermsYour training and certification is personal and cannot be transferred to or shared with someone else.

Obtaining training for several users

Training for 1-10 users1739 USD, VAT included.The purchase is completed through the form below. You need to complete one purchase for every user.